BMW Works to Make Riding Safer

How about a virtual connection between riders and drivers to warn both when one gets too close?

We've all seen it. Drivers that don't see us. Or we misjudge the distance between our bike and their fenders. The result can be horrible if not downright deadly. Well, BMW, Yamaha and Honda formed a group called the Connected Motorcycle Consortium to prevent this, and they're promoting one of their first technologies called Cooperative Intelligent Transportation Systems (C-ITS).

Basically, it sounds like a motorcycle to car/truck warning system that works similar to those that now tell car drivers when they're wandering out of their lane or about to hit something. In this case, if both motorcycle and car have the system, it would warn rider and driver of a 'too-close-for-comfort' moment.

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BMW appears to be first to showcase what this could look like on an R1200RS connected ride bike with technology that includes crossing and left-turn assistant, and warning measures featuring Vehicle to Vehicle Communication (V2V) based on a cross-manufacturer communication standard and extremely high-precision localization.

That's all tech speak for the idea that BMW may eventually incorporate the system into its cars and bikes hoping the rest of the car and motorcycle OEMs follow suit. With Honda on board, that could eventually include their lineup, as well.